(C) Daily Kos This story was originally published by Daily Kos and is unaltered. . . . . . . . . . . Ukraine Invasion Day 672: limited Russian tactical gains [1] ['This Content Is Not Subject To Review Daily Kos Staff Prior To Publication.'] Date: 2023-12-26 Russian forces conducted additional waves of drone and missile strikes against Ukraine on the nights of December 24-25 and December 25-26. Ukrainian military sources reported that overnight on December 24-25, Russian forces launched 31 Shahed-131/136 drones at Ukraine from Cape Chauda and Balaklava, occupied Crimea, a Kh-59 missile from the Zaporizhia Oblast direction, and a Kh-31P anti-radar missile from the direction of the Black Sea.[27] Ukrainian forces destroyed 28 of the Shaheds and both of the missiles.[28] Ukrainian military sources then reported on December 26 that overnight on December 25-26 Russian forces launched 19 Shahed drones from Balaklava and Primorsko-Akhtarsk, Krasnodar Krai, at Ukraine, 13 of which Ukrainian forces shot down over Odesa, Kherson, Mykolaiv, and Khmelnytskyi oblasts.[29] Ukraine's Southern Operational Command noted that Russian forces struck an infrastructure object in Odesa Oblast and an industrial facility in Mykolaiv Oblast.[3] “The United States and its allies must begin to think through the implications of a great-power war that, while remaining below the threshold of nuclear escalation, could last for many months or years, incurring far-reaching costs.” https://t.co/6uZHrhBHol Russia shelled the Kherson train station while more than 100 people were waiting to evacuate. Two people were wounded, and a police lieutenant in charge of overseeing the evacuation was killed. https://t.co/OmikZ26vZu pic.twitter.com/DeD8ph3eJ2 Russian Subordinate Main Effort #1 – Luhansk Oblast (Russian objective: Capture the remainder of Luhansk Oblast and push westward into eastern Kharkiv Oblast and northern Donetsk Oblast) Russian forces recently made a confirmed advance near Kupyansk. Geolocated footage published on December 24 indicates that Russian force marginally advanced southwest of Pershotravneve (northeast of Kupyansk).[57] … Russian and Ukrainian sources stated that positional engagements continued in the Kupyansk direction northeast of Petropavlivka, near Synkivka, Stelmakhivka (northwest of Svatove), and Novoselivske (northwest of Svatove), and in the Lyman direction near Hryhorivka (southwest of Kreminna), Torske, the Serebryanske forest area, Dibrova, and Bilohorivka (south of Kreminna).[60] Ukrainian military observer Kostyantyn Mashovets reported that elements of the Russian 27th Motorized Rifle Brigade (1st Guards Tank Army [GTA], Western Military District [WMD]) and 1432nd Motorized Rifle Regiment (2nd Motorized Rifle Division, 1st GTA, WMD) have been unsuccessfully attacking along the Kuzemivka-Stelmakhivka line (northwest of Svatove) for the past several days.[61] Mashovets reported that Russian forces recently deployed more artillery elements of the 9th Artillery Brigade (6th Combined Arms Army [CAA], WMD) near Tavilzhanka (northeast of Kupyansk) in order to support units of the Russian 25th Motorized Rifle Brigade (6th CAA, WMD) attacking near Synkivka.[62] Russian Subordinate Main Effort #2 – Donetsk Oblast (Russian objective: Capture the entirety of Donetsk Oblast, the claimed territory of Russia’s proxies in Donbas) Russian forces reportedly attacked near Vesele (20km northeast of Bakhmut) on December 25 but did not advance.[63] Elements of the 6th Motorized Rifle Brigade (2nd Luhansk People’s Republic [LNR] Army Corps [AC]) are reportedly continuing to operate northeast of Bakhmut near Spirne.[64] Russian sources claimed on December 25 and December 26 that Russian forces marginally advanced west and southwest of Bakhmut, but ISW has not observed evidence confirming these claims. … Russian sources claimed that Russian forces advanced up to 500 meters in depth within Bohdanivka (northwest of Bakhmut) and control 40 percent of the settlement.[66] Russian and Ukrainian forces reportedly fought positional battles northwest of Bakhmut near Bohdanivka; southwest of Bakhmut near Klishchiivka and Andriivka; and west of Bakhmut near Ivanivske and the T0504 Khromove-Chasiv Yar highway.[67] Ukrainian Spokesperson for the 42nd Separate Mechanized Brigade Junior Lieutenant Vadym Ivashchenko reported on December 25 that Russian forces are using tear gas and some other unspecified chemical weapons to push Ukrainian forces out of their positions in the Bakhmut direction.[68] Russian forces recently made confirmed marginal advances northwest, southwest, and southeast of Avdiivka. Geolocated footage published on December 25 and December 26 indicates that Russian forces advanced in northern Stepove (northwest of Avdiivka), on the northern outskirts of Opytne (southwest of Avdiivka), and in the industrial area southeast of Avdiivka.[72] Russian sources claimed that Russian forces advanced 300 meters along the railway towards Ocheretyne (northwest of Avdiivka), up to 100 meters on the eastern outskirts of Stepove, up to 200 meters southeast of Nevelske (southwest of Avdiivka), and several hundred meters near Novokalynove (northwest of Avdiivka), although ISW has not observed visual evidence of these claims.[73] Russian and Ukrainian forces reportedly continued positional engagements near Avdiivka; northwest of Avdiivka near the Avdiivka Coke Plant, east of Novobakhmutivka, and near Stepove and Ocheretyne; in the industrial zone; and southwest of Avdiivka near Pervomaiske, Nevelske, and Sieverne.[74] Ukrainian Spokesperson of the 47th Mechanized Brigade Dmytro Lazutkin stated that the situation in the Avdiivka direction is not getting any easier but noted that Russian advances are marginal around Avdiivka.[75] [END] --- [1] Url: https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2023/12/26/2213981/-Ukraine-Invasion-Day-672?pm_campaign=front_page&pm_source=trending&pm_medium=web Published and (C) by Daily Kos Content appears here under this condition or license: Site content may be used for any purpose without permission unless otherwise specified. via Magical.Fish Gopher News Feeds: gopher://magical.fish/1/feeds/news/dailykos/